The Innocence of Sleep
by VietAngel
Summary: Diana will always be a princess in Clark's eyes. Superman and Wonder Woman fluff.


**Title: **The Innocence of Sleep  
**Pairing:** Clark/Diana (Superman/Wonder Woman)  
**Rating:** T  
**Summary:** Diana will always be a princess in Clark's eyes.

**Author's Note: **This is my first ever fic based on comic characters, so I thought I'd get my feet wet with a sappy fluff piece starring my favorite couple. Superman and Wonder Woman. There are pieces of various story arcs, but the most prominent is from the limited series JLA: Act of God in which our heroes inexplicably lose their powers. I've always thought it was an extremely interesting idea, but was poorly executed.

**Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

* * *

As Clark struggled to get the back door open with his arms loaded down with bags, he found himself wishing he still had his super powers. He shook his head and quickly banished the thought. He and Diana had promised each other that there would be no looking back, no dwelling on the past…they were just regular human beings now and that was that. They'd traveled a long road filled with pain and tragedy to get to this place—he'd left her, almost lost her—but they'd made it. They weren't heroes anymore, but they had fulfilling careers (she as an interpreter for the Department of State and he as a writer), a beautiful Washington, D.C. brownstone to call home, and they had the most precious thing of all…a very happy marriage.

It was that very happy marriage that sparked his idea to surprise her with a romantic and relaxing evening at home watching old movies and eating gourmet takeout. For the past couple of weeks their jobs had kept them so busy they hadn't had time to relax and enjoy being together. He missed her—the timbre of her voice when she was just waking up, the tickle of her hair against his face, the warmth and weight of her body against his, the blissful look on her face when they made love, the smell of fire and earth and orchids—everything that was uniquely Diana.

He wasn't expecting her home for another couple of hours so he put the takeout in the fridge and the wine on ice so it would be perfectly chilled by the time they were ready to eat. Finally he opened the box to make sure the elaborate icing on the double chocolate cake was still perfect. She'd mentioned that she had a craving for it the night before. With the groceries squared away he made his way into the den with his mind set on watching some TV until Diana came home. He was shocked by the sight that greeted him.

Diana was already home and sound asleep on the sofa in the den. She was sprawled out in a rather unladylike fashion that was unusual for her and still dressed in the knee high boots, black French cuff button down blouse, and grey herringbone skirt she'd left for work in. Her cheek was firmly pressed against the pillow leaving her lusciously full lips slightly parted, left arm and left leg dangling off the edge of the sofa. If her skirt inched up any more her derriere would be embarrassingly exposed…though he wouldn't have minded that sight at all.

He couldn't help himself, he just had to stop and watch her. She still took his breath away just as she did the first time he ever laid eyes on her. To call her gorgeous was an understatement; words didn't exist to truly describe the raven-haired beauty that was blessed by Aphrodite herself. Lady Aphrodite had been beyond generous with her blessings of great beauty and a loving heart—he looked forward to the day when they'd find out if her generosity extended to fertility as well. He and Diana wanted a family, but they weren't sure if their DNA was compatible. They'd cross that bridge when they came to it, but for now they were content to enjoy their alone time as a couple.

Concern finally shook him from his reverie. He'd never known Diana to take a nap of her own volition. Even when she was dead tired she would only agree to rest to stop his incessant pestering. Something was definitely wrong and he intended to find out what it was and make it better.

"Diana?" he called softly as he knelt beside her and gently rubbed her lower back. "Wake up, sweetheart."

He pressed a kiss to her temple and waited patiently as she opened her eyes and sat up slowly. He frowned as he observed her. Her cheeks were flushed, her nose was red, she was covered in a thin film of sweat, and the mere act of sitting up seemed to pain her.

"Honey, what's wrong?" he asked as he tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear.

"I don't feel very well," was her raspy reply. "My throat is sore, my nose is stuffy, and I ache all over."

He frowned and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. She was burning up. Not that he'd really needed to check to know. The misery in her beautiful blue eyes told all.

"Poor thing, sounds like you have a cold. You must feel awful. Come on, let's get you upstairs and settled into bed. You'll feel better after some rest."

She managed a small smile and stood to make her way up the stairs. Before she could take a step Clark scooped her into his arms. He knew he was taking a big risk with that action, but he gambled on the fact that she was probably feeling too weak to hurt him. As she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her burning forehead to his cheek, he realized it paid off…this time. He easily made his way up to their bedroom and deposited her gently on the bed.

"A hot bath should help some. Do you think you could handle that?" he asked.

She nodded her head 'yes' and he excused himself to go start her bath. He made sure to add a generous amount of lavender and chamomile bubble bath to help her sleep. When he returned she was still sitting on the bed looking exhausted and miserable, but had at least managed to pull her hair into a messy bun. She had obviously exhausted all energy doing that and wasn't up to the task of undressing herself, so he began to do it for her. Luckily he had years of practice. If it was any other person doing this, Diana would have been embarrassed by her weakness…but he was her husband, her love—the only person in the world other than her mother and sister that she'd let see her in such a vulnerable state. With or without powers she was still an Amazon. Amazon's didn't need to be coddled, but she was also a woman in love and she appreciated his eagerness to take care of her.

She was shivering by the time he finished undressing her, so he quickly ushered her to the waiting bath and slowly lowered her into the steaming hot pool. She sighed contentedly at the feel of the hot water on her skin and she finally stopped shivering when Clark took the loofah and started to make the hot soapy water rain down over her back, chest, and arms. The steam seemed to be clearing her nose as well and she was relieved to be breathing a little easier. He didn't need to ask her if the hot water felt good against her skin because her moans of contentment said it all. He briefly considered washing her hair but thought better of it. She needed a warm bed and some rest more than clean hair at the moment.

She started to yawn and the water was rapidly cooling, so he helped her out of the tub and dried her body before leading her back to the bedroom. He knew Diana well enough to know that she was most comfortable in nothing but her own skin so he didn't bother pulling out any pajamas, just pulled the covers back so she could crawl in. When Diana first spotted the silk sheets that were currently on the bed, he'd complained about the price but ultimately indulged her whim as he always did. The look on her face as the cool fabric brushed against her feverish skin made it all worth it. He stripped down to his boxers as quickly as he could, crawled in beside her, and turned out the bedside lamp. The only sounds in the room were her congested breathing and the soft rustle of silk against skin as she snuggled up next to him and rested her head on his chest. She was still very warm, but cooler than she had been when he found her much to his relief.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me, Kal," she whispered into his skin. "I love you."

"I love you too, Princess…always," he replied. He kissed the top of her head and a few minutes later heard her breathing even out the way it always did when she was asleep. It wasn't at all the relaxing evening he'd had in mind, but with the love of his life in his arms he didn't have anything to complain about.

**Fin.**


End file.
